LINCOLN PARK — The newest additions to Lincoln Park Zoo weren't able to show off their snowball-throwing abilities last week.
The zoo's Japanese macaque exhibit was supposed to open last fall, including its hot spring for the snow monkeys to play in.
Unexpected delays, which a zoo spokeswoman declined to specify, have pushed back the opening of the 7,300-square-foot habitat. Weather also has been an issue in the delay.
The zoo confirmed that the snow monkeys arrived in Lincoln Park in the late fall, but they remain in quarantine behind the scenes.
"We are just kind of waiting for the right moment for things to fall in place," said Jillian Braun, a zoo spokeswoman. "There are so many factors, and when dealing with animals everything has to go perfectly."
Braun said the zoo wants to open the exhibit this winter, but there was no guarantee.
The new Japanese macaque troupe was expected to include 10 to 15 members in an area that mimics a rocky Northern climate.
The animals have been observed making and playing with snowballs in the wild.
The habitat will include a hot spring and stream, as the snow monkeys are known to swim and play in the water. In this video, the snow monkeys soak in the hot springs of Japan:
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